Advances in technology now provide many people the ability to design publications, newsletters, even magazines right at their desks. Computer software that once cost thousands of dollars is available for almost nothing and may, in fact, be part of a new computer purchase or even rented by the month. Â The entrance ramps to the roads from screen to ink on paper are many, and those tasked with creating content can enter from any number of skill levels with varied expectations.
The purpose of this post is to bring a few things to the forefront that can ultimately save you lots of time, headaches, and money down the road.
Let’s start with your color monitor. What you see isn’t necessarily what you’ll get when your project goes to print. The overwhelming majority of computer monitors are not professionally calibrated, and although your creation may look good on the screen, when your file is transferred into the format for printing, what you thought was going to look one way turns out to be something different. Most times the differences are subtle, but they can also pose problems. You do have the option of purchasing equipment to calibrate your monitor, but for most, the cost of such a procurement is very high and often overlooked.
Don’t worry, the professionals at Accent Printing Solutions can provide a high resolution proof before printing for you to review.  The proof will not be sent electronically and must be delivered to you the old-fashioned way via courier or overnight delivery. If you’re happy with what you see, you’re in business. Your project can proceed as planned.
There are a number of other factors though that can affect the color rendition of your project that also come into play.
Here is where acronyms come to light. CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black. In professional reprographics, the combination of these inks make up the spectrum of color seen by the human eye. Items printed in this fashion are referred to as “process color.” Printing presses with highly accurate alignment and operators with years of experience make it happen behind the scenes at the Accent Printing Solutions facility.
There are times however, when your client will require a specific color that isn’t available through the CMYK method, and when this is the case, the process relies on spot color.
Professional designers spend an inordinate amount of time selecting specific colors and shades to meet their unwavering requirements. The most prevalent spot color matching system is offered by the Pantone Company and is referred to as a PMS color.
Now, this is important if you’re producing a product for a large corporation or for advertising purposes, more than likely, a very specific spot color will be specified and your clients will most often expect nothing less than perfection. This is especially true with regards to corporate logos, product shots, and photographs of food and fashion.
Even if you have all of this covered, there’s more to consider. This is where you have to begin your project with the end in mind. The culprit is the paper you plan to use, whether or not it’s coated and if after printing, your specifications call for varnishing or the application of any number of finishing products.
Many people miss this point, and it’s here where the professional account representatives at Accent Printing Solutions play a big part in your success.  Everyone who represents our company is a trained printing professional who is able to guide you through the complexities of getting your vision properly printed, trimmed, bound, and delivered as needed.
Challenge our professional printing account executives to guide you through the process. We don’t charge for answering questions, and our commitment to the best service is part of the Accent Printing Solutions way of doing business. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
